Imagine China with thousands of empty warehouses. Communities decimated by the once-strong industries taken from the U.S., now ghost towns. If American companies wake up, Trump has a chance to reshape and re-energize our ridiculous reliance on Asian-made goods. I’m not hoping for pain to come to the Chinese people, or the continent of Asia for that matter, but this foreign dependence has to stop. 

For the price of cheaper goods, the United States completely hollowed out our historic Industrial Revolution. American companies, for the sake of cheaper cost and labor (questionable slave labor in many cases), have destroyed once proud American cities. 

The Trump Rapid Response team released a video showing the crushing impact of outsourcing American jobs in Dayton, Ohio. The post reads: “Dayton, Ohio once had more auto jobs than anywhere but Detroit. But unfair trade deals shuttered plants and put tens of thousands of people out of work, leaving the community devastated. Previous presidents may have thought this was acceptable, but @POTUS does not.” 

Dayton, Ohio once had more auto jobs than anywhere but Detroit.

But unfair trade deals shuttered plants and put tens of thousands of people out of work, leaving the community devastated.

Previous presidents may have thought this was acceptable, but @POTUS does not. pic.twitter.com/Ke0OTsx6X7

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 7, 2025

Read Related: Europe Scrambles to Make a Deal: Ready to Talk Tariffs With Trump

Talking Tariffs and Supply Chains: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and NEC Director Kevin Hassett

Pharmaceutical companies have been some of the worst culprits and, frankly, put our entire drug industry at risk simply by their reliance on Chinese drug ingredients. This has been a known worry for quite some time. In a 2019 Fox News article, it’s estimated that the U.S. gets 80 percent of the active drug ingredients in our medicine from China: 

“Experts are warning America has become too dependent on China for its medicine -- everything from painkillers, to antibiotics, and even aspirin can all be sourced back to a country the Department of Defense considers an adversary. The Food and Drug Administration estimates that at least 80 percent of the active ingredients found in all of America's medicines come from abroad – primarily China.” 

This number from the FDA is disputed in some circles but the context remains—we are massively dependent on China in the medical field. 

The textile industry is the same. The great Pat Buchanan, who was correct on most policy issues from a conservative standpoint, said this to Uncommon Knowledge’s Peter Robinson in 2012 regarding trade with China: 

My view is very simple. If it can be made here it should be made here. I don’t believe in global free trade, putting Americans making $30 or $20 bucks an hour into competition with folks making $2 bucks an hour. Why do the Chinese sell $400 billion to us and buy $100 billion? In 1994 they simply cut the value of their currency in half, which doubled the price of our goods coming in, and cut the price of their goods going out by 50%. I mean, these people manipulate their currencies and they do it to bring manufacturing home … People talk about a level playing field, Vince Lombardi did not say  ‘all I want is a level playing field,’ he said ‘winning is the only thing.’ We realize this is a rivalry, it’s a competition, it’s not war, but it’s a lot closer to war than it is to what these folks are talking about. 

I understand it will take time, but getting companies back stateside should be the goal. For many companies and industries, like Nike or those that make textiles, there are large plots of land or empty warehouses all across the heartland that are ripe for innovation and renewal. I also understand that many industries, tech, for example, take a specific person to do the job, but that is not the case for textiles or steel. 

We must reverse our current trajectory. I know the stock market doesn’t deal well with uncertainty, and Trump's tariffs have set off a whirlwind of selling—my personal portfolio is down big. But here’s what I know: Stocks go up and down. I don’t mean to make it that simple or downplay the pain, but the market will have green days in the future. I hope that the future is also full of American innovation, American companies, and American goods being made in the United States. 

Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it. 

Help us continue reporting on President Trump's success. Join RedState's VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.